Three Medals

This week Tashena competed for the final time at the District Track & Field Championships.  She entered three events (discus, long jump, and shot put) and won medals in all three of them!

In the discus she broke a district record that has stood for thirty years!

Discus Champion (Look at those guns!).  She has won the discus championship for three years in a row!

Long jump champion.

Third place in shot put.  I am so proud of this girl!  I can't wait to see what she does next year in high school!

Harbor Lights Cruise

On my first night in New York City I decided to take a Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise (most theatres are dark on Monday night) and it was absolutely spectacular!

Some views of the iconic New York City skyline.

Some beautiful views of the Statue of Liberty at dusk.

Some views of the Brooklyn Bridge at dusk.

Views of the Manhattan Bridge.

The beautiful city lights reflecting in the water.  New York City is magical and it was a lovely way to spend my first night in the city that never sleeps!

The Count of Monte Cristo at PTC

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is one of my all-time favorite books and, when PTC announced that they were going to stage a new adaptation during the 2015-2016 season, I was thrilled and decided to reread the classic in anticipation.  That may have been a bad thing!  The thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge begins when Edmund Dantes is promoted to captain of the Phaeron, much to the dismay of the purser, Danglars, and becomes engaged to the beautiful Mercedes, much to the dismay of his jealous rival, Mondego.  They accuse Dantes of treason when they discover that Dantes has been asked to deliver a letter to Noirtier, a notorious Bonapartist.  Dantes is arrested and brought before the magistrate, Villefort, who is the son of Noirtier.  Fearful of being exposed as the son of a Bonapartist, Villefort imprisons Dantes in the Chateau d'If where he languishes for years.  Dantes eventually meets the Abbe Faria, another prisoner, who teaches him languages, history, culture, and science.  Faria also reveals the location of an immense treasure on the island of Monte Cristo just before he dies.  Dantes takes the place of Faria and is thrown into the sea where he eventually locates the treasure and uses it to intricately and painstakingly plot and execute his revenge against Danglars, Mondego, and Villefort.  My favorite part of the book is how elaborate and clever Dantes' plans are and the lengths to which he is willing to go to exact revenge against those who have betrayed him.  I was quite disappointed that this adaptation chose to spend less than ten minutes on revenge (during the song "Too Much is not Enough") and, instead, focus on the resumption of the love story between Dantes and Mercedes (which does not happen in the book).  I realize that source material is often altered to enhance the storytelling but I feel that playwright Jack Murphy changed the entire focus of the story from an exciting tale about the dangers of letting revenge consume you into a tepid romance.  The songs are incredibly beautiful, especially "Forever," "I Will Be There," "I Know Those Eyes/ This Man Is Dead," "All This Time," and "The Man I Used to Be."  The lead actors give powerful performances, particularly Matt Farcher as Dantes and Briana Carlson-Goodman as Mercedes, and Dathan B. Williams just about steals the show as Abbe Faria (although, because of the altered story, crowd favorite Max Robinson is completely underutilized as Monsieur Morrell).  The set, with a giant revolving staircase, is impressive, the period costumes are very well done (other than the strange black leather pants worn by the count), and the choreography is exciting, especially the fight scenes.  PTC does everything right but I just couldn't get past the changes to the story and ultimately left the theatre disappointed.  Perhaps knowing nothing about the book is an advantage because everyone around me seemed to love it!  The show runs through May 21 and tickets may be purchased here.

NYC!

Times Square in New York City

A few years ago I was able to take a theatre trip to London with Pioneer Theatre Company.  I saw an advertisement for the trip in a playbill and spontaneously signed up to go even though I didn't know a single person who was going and I had to take a week off from school in April.  It was the trip of a lifetime and I have always looked back on this experience with fondness because I got to see a revival of My Fair Lady with Anthony Andrews, a brilliant production of Stones in his Pockets, and an incredible performance of King Lear at the Old Vic with Timothy West (who was amazing) in the title role.  I also got to see The Lion King and Mamma Mia for the first time (I cried when the elephants walked by me in The Lion King).  I literally met my roommate for the first time at the airport but I had a blast running around London with her.

Last fall I saw a similar advertisement in a playbill, this time for a theatre trip to New York City with Hale Centre Theatre.  Once again, I didn't know a single person who was going (including my roommate) and I had to take a week off from school in May (which, in case you were wondering, is not a good time to be gone) but I spontaneously signed up and I am so glad that I did! I got to see seven musicals in five days (including Hamilton which absolutely blew my mind), I got to do some fun touristy things (like visit the Statue of Liberty and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge), and I met some of the most amazing people who love theatre as much as I do (my roommate and I talked until 2:00 in the morning every night!).  I will recap my adventures in the next few weeks but here are some details if you are thinking of visiting New York City.   Where to stay:  I loved the Belvedere Hotel in Midtown Manhattan because it was conveniently located near Broadway and Times Square.  What to do:  I had a 7-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard, which lets you ride the subway and all MTA buses, and a 7-day New York Pass, which gives you admission to most tourist attractions (and lets you jump to the head of the line at said attractions) as well as a two-day Hop-on Hop-off Bus Ride.  My tour also included four Broadway musicals but I got tickets to three more shows here and here.  Where to eat:  My favorite restaurant while I was in New York was Amarone.  I recommend the Eggplant Fritters!

Note:  Don't be afraid to do something that is outside your comfort zone.  Amazing things can happen when you say yes to opportunities that come your way.  I usually don't regret the things I do but I almost always regret the things I don't do.

Utah Opera's The Marriage of Figaro

Ever since I saw the movie Amadeus for the first time, I have wanted to see the opera The Marriage of Figaro and I finally got my wish last night when I attended Utah Opera's wonderful production.  After wanting to see it for so long (not to mention the fact that I have been eagerly anticipating it since the Utah Opera 2015-2016 season was announced last spring), I was a bit worried that Mozart's tale about a licentious nobleman and his scheming servants might not live up to my expectations.  It exceeded them in every way!  The opera is hilariously funny, with audience members frequently laughing out loud, but the music is so incredibly beautiful and displays a depth of emotion that is unexpected in a comedy.  To be sure it is a farce but, ultimately, it is a powerful story about love and reconciliation and I loved it!  The entire cast sang their roles beautifully and I especially enjoyed the more evocative arias such as "Grant, love, some comfort" and "Where are they, the beautiful moments" by the Countess (Nicole Heaston) and the passionate rendition of  "Countess, forgive me" by the Count (Craig Irvin), Countess, and company at the end of Act 4 brought tears to my eyes.  However, I also, rather surprisingly, enjoyed the physical comedy found in this opera (I think that comedic elements can be overdone but director Tara Faircloth found just the right balance). With Figaro (Seth Carico) and Susanna (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez) plotting to get back at the Count, chaos ensued with some characters hiding, seemingly in plain sight, and others impersonating each other.  It was a lot of fun to watch.  Susan Memmott Allred's original costumes had a sort of Downton Abbey feel to them, which is understandable with a libretto about class divisions in society, and I thought they were all beautiful, especially Susanna's wedding dress which was so demure.  Even though this opera is over three hours long, it seemed to go by very quickly because it was so much fun to watch!  I absolutely loved The Marriage of Figaro and it was definitely worth the wait!  I recommend that you get a ticket (go here) to one of the performances through May 15 at Capitol Theatre.

Captain America: Civil War

Last night I saw an early screening of Captain America: Civil War.  It is undoubtedly the best Avengers movie yet!  I absolutely loved it and, if I hadn't had to wake up at 5:00 this morning, I would have bought a ticket to the next screening to see it again!  Collateral damage seems to be the theme of the moment and this movie is a thought-provoking and intelligent exploration of it and the abuse of power, however well-meaning it might be.  Captain America (Chris Evans), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) are on a mission in Lagos, Nigeria when Scarlet Witch inadvertently causes a tremendous amount of collateral damage.  In response, the UN wants to ratify the Sokovia Accords which will limit the power of the Avengers and this causes dissension between team members, particularly Captain America and Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.).  Battle lines (literally!) are further drawn when surveillance footage shows that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is responsible for the bombing of the UN building.  Captain America believes that Barnes is innocent which leads to an epic confrontation between those loyal to him and those loyal to Iron Man, including Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye (Jeremey Renner), and Vision (Paul Bettany) as well as the introductions of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).  The action sequences are fantastic and I loved the interaction between the superheroes as they fight each other ("Are we still friends?" "That depends how hard you punch me.").  I also loved the opening action sequence, particularly Black Widow who is absolutely kick-ass (I have heard rumors that she will soon get a stand-alone movie!).  This incarnation of Spider-Man is now my favorite!  I laughed out loud at just about everything he says, especially the reference to The Empire Strikes Back!  In fact, all of the characters seemed interesting and engaging, much more so than in The Avengers: Age of Ultron where I often felt as if some of characters were more involved in their own story lines.  Finally, the narrative is surprisingly emotional because Captain America and Iron Man both feel strongly that they each are each doing the right thing.  There is a particularly affecting scene where they seem to lament the loss of their friendship.  I, along with the rowdy crowd at my screening, loved this movie.  I cannot imagine anyone not liking it and I highly recommend that you see it in IMAX 3D as soon as possible!

A New PR

Tashena had another track meet yesterday!  Usually I really love watching her compete but it was unbelievably cold.  Even though I was freezing I was still so proud of her!  She took first place in the long jump and second place in shot put!  In the discus, which is her best event, she threw 132.1 feet!  Yes!  You read that correctly!  She threw 132.1 feet which is her best distance ever.  She shattered the high school record and one of the coaches told my brother-in-law that Tashena would place in the top 40 in the nation on the college level with that distance!  Of course our family has always believed that she is incredibly talented but it is an amazing feeling to hear all of the other coaches, parents, and students cheering for her by name!  I always tease her about watching her compete at the Olympics but I may need to start saving my money for a trip to Tokyo in 2020!

Purple Rain

As with David Bowie several months ago, I was inexplicably saddened by the news of Prince's death.  I say inexplicably because, clearly, I do not know either of these musicians personally (although Marilyn and I saw David Bowie walking through the streets of London when we were there in 2010) which makes my grief seem somewhat excessive.  However, I believe that music is incredibly evocative.  Just one note can take me back to a particular time and place so when artists who are synonymous with my adolescence die it is like losing a piece of myself.  Whenever I hear a song from the Purple Rain soundtrack I instantly become the 16 year old girl who snuck into the movie with her friends (because it was rated R and they wouldn't let us buy tickets without our parents) during the summer of 1984.  That was a magical summer and seeing Purple Rain with my friends was very memorable and so much fun (we felt like such rebels).  When I heard that select AMC Theaters would be showing Purple Rain as a tribute to Prince this week, I knew that I had to get a ticket.  I saw it last night (I didn't have to sneak in this time) and it was awesome!  The theater was packed without a single seat available (on a Tuesday night!) and the crowd was rowdy, singing and cheering throughout the whole movie.  That it has the thinnest of plots (a tormented singer must deal with his inner demons in order to find love and success) and a terrible lead actress matters not.  Prince is the ultimate showman and this movie is at its best when he is on stage at the real-life Minneapolis club First Avenue.  My attention was riveted on his every move, especially during "Let's Go Crazy," "The Beautiful Ones," and, of course, "Purple Rain."  I was surprised at how tame "Darling Nikki" seemed to me now because it was pretty scandalous back in 1984!  Seeing Purple Rain on the big screen made me mourn Prince all over again because, in reality, I am really mourning the loss of the 16 year old girl who loved this movie so much!

Note:  When I heard that Prince had died, I was with my officers and the majority of them didn't know who he was.  I played snippets from my extensive collection and the only song they vaguely recognized was "Kiss."  What?

On the Pitcher's Mound

This year Sean's Little League baseball team is the Giants.  He has a had a few games but last night was the first time I've been able to come see him play.  Before the game my sister said that he might be pitching for the first time.  After two innings, his team was down 16-0 and the coach decided to put him in.  We were really nervous for him because the crowd at Little League games likes to yell at the players (they are eleven).  My sister said she didn't think she could take the pressure and it was especially hard because he had to stand on the mound for a really long time before the catcher came out of the dugout to let him warm up and he seemed really nervous.  He was amazing!  He would stand there for an unusually long time with the ball in his glove staring the batter down before he would throw a pitch.  My brother-in-law called this his "strategy."  It worked!  I think he psyched the batters out because he would always make them swing away and strike out!  Even though his team lost, he was so happy after the game because we were so proud of him!  Everyone congratulated him as they walked past him, even the parents of the players on the other team!

 I hope he gets to pitch at his next game!

Peter and the Starcatcher at HCT

Peter and the Starcatcher is a magical story for children (and adults who refuse to grow up) about how a mistreated orphan boy becomes Peter Pan. It is currently playing at Hale Centre Theatre and I was able to see it last night. I've seen this wonderful play before but HCT's production just might be my favorite. The story is told on a minimalist stage with ordinary items used in creative ways as props requiring the audience to use their imagination. Many of the people sitting around me commented at intermission that they didn't really know what was going on!  I guess I am still a child at heart because I thought it was absolutely hilarious and I can't remember when I have laughed so hard! I laughed and laughed throughout the whole show and sometimes I was the only one laughing!  All of the actors are amazing with most of them playing multiple roles.  I really loved Kooper Campbell as Peter because he brought such a vulnerability to the role, Brighton Hertford as Molly because she portrayed her as such a strong and independent girl, and Nicholas Siler as the alliteration-loving Mrs. Brumbake because he was hilariously over-wrought but, in my opinion, Ben Abbott stole the show as Black Stache. Granted, Black Stache is my favorite character in the play but Abbott brought such a physicality to the role that made me laugh every time he was on stage (I felt the same way about his performance in HCT's production of Is He Dead?).  I loved watching his facial expressions and I loved it when he spoke directly to the crowd. I thought the staging was absolutely brilliant, especially the scene with the mermaids (I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe), and I particularly enjoyed the use the actors made of the many levels of the stage.  Kudos go to Peggy Willis for the fantastic costumes, especially the aforementioned mermaids, and Michelle Jensen is to be commended for the sheer number of props as well as the creative use of ordinary objects (I loved all of the green neckties used in the forest). I was absolutely enchanted by this production and, if you can summon your inner child as you enter the threatre, I suspect you will enjoy it too.  However, I highly recommend that you get a ticket as soon as possible because many shows are already sold-out.  Peter and the Starcatcher runs through May 18 and tickets can be purchased here.

Miss Track Star

Tashena had her first track meet of the season yesterday.

She threw the shot put 29 feet to take first place!

She jumped 15.4 feet in the long jump, which is a PR, and took third place.

Finally, in discus, her best event, she threw 111 feet to easily take first place!  I think she is amazing and I can't wait to see what she does during the rest of the season!

Rain

If there is one thing you need to know about me it is that I love the Beatles!  I have loved them for as long as I can remember and, even though I have seen Paul McCartney several times, it always makes me sad that I never got to see the Beatles live.  The best that I can do is see a tribute band but there are some really great ones out there.  I've seen 1964 several times, I saw Classical Mystery Tour with the Utah Symphony last summer, and yesterday I got to see the Broadway show Rain which might be the best Beatles tribute concert I've ever seen!  Part concert, part theatrical experience, this show actually makes you feel like you are seeing the Beatles perform in various venues!  There are large screens projecting images such as the Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium, and Abbey Road Studios.  I loved it!  I especially loved it when the screens showed footage of screaming fans from actual Beatles concerts next to footage of the crowd screaming at Kingsbury Hall!  Steve Landes (Johns Lennon), Paul Curatolo (Paul McCartney), Alastar McNeil (George Harrison), and Aaron Chiazza (Ringo Starr) look and sound so much like the Beatles that it is easy to imagine that you are seeing the real thing!  They began the show dressed in the signature matching suits and Cuban-heeled boots the Beatles wore on the Ed Sullivan Show and sang "She Loves You," "Please Please Me," "From Me to You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "A Hard Day's Night," "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You," "If I Fell," "Yesterday," "The Night Before," "Day Tripper," and then they got the crowd up and dancing to "Twist and Shout."  They changed into the Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and sang "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," "With a Little Help From My Friends," "Eleanor Rigby," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Penny Lane," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band (Reprise)," and "A Day in the Life."  After the intermission they were dressed like hippies and played "Magical Mystery Tour," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Across the Universe," "Blackbird," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "In My Life," "Here Comes the Sun," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Come Together," "Get Back," "Revolution," and "The End."  Before the show they had the audience request a song from a list provided on Twitter and Facebook and they ended up playing "Norwegian Wood" which is the song I requested!  For the encore, they sang "Let it Be" and, of course, a rousing rendition of "Hey Jude."  I loved hearing the entire audience singing the chorus!  It gave me goosebumps!  I really enjoyed the selection of songs included and I was very impressed that all of the music is actually played on stage (A fifth member of the band, Mark Lewis, is on stage performing keyboards and other instruments to recreate the Beatles' sound).  I especially loved McNeil's guitar solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."  I thoroughly loved this show and I highly recommend it to Beatles fans!

Note:  Most of the audience members were my parents' age but I was happy to see quite a few kids who were singing every word!

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet

View of downtown SLC from the windows of Abravanel Hall

Last night I returned to Abravanel Hall (after what seems like a very long absence) for a Utah Symphony concert featuring excerpts from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet and performances from actors with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  Several years ago I attended a similar performance featuring Mendelssohn's incidental music from A Midsummer Night's Dream and excerpts from the play performed by noted Utah Shakespeare Festival actors.  It remains one of my favorite Utah Symphony concerts and I knew this production would be every bit as good so I have been looking forward to it for weeks.  I think Prokofiev's score is incredibly dramatic.  I particularly enjoyed "Montagues and Capulets" because it is so stirring yet it features an evocative theme played by the flute in the middle.  I also really liked "The Death of Tybalt" because it is another stirring piece with a bold theme played by the brass.  In between the musical numbers, corresponding scenes were performed from Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers by Betsy Mugavero as Juliet, Claire Warden as Lady Capulet, Sarah Shippobotham as the Nurse, Luigi Sottile as Romeo, and Peter Lohnes as Friar Lawrence.  These scenes were directed by David Ivers, who is one of my favorite performers and directors from the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  I liked the selections, especially the famous balcony scene because Sottile's characterization of Romeo was quite playful which I thought was very interesting.  The combination of Prokofiev's music and Shakespeare's text, not to mention the outstanding performances, certainly produced an enjoyable evening of entertainment (which was definitely needed after a long week).  I hope that the Utah Symphony and the Utah Shakespeare Festival continue their collaboration for many years to come.  This concert will be performed again tonight and if you are anticipating this year's festival as much as I am, this might tide you over!  Tickets can be purchased here.

Note:  My favorite moment of the evening came courtesy of a large group of high school theatre students sitting near me.  I saw them arrive on their bus and they seemed so excited to be there.  After the concert one of them said, "That was sooooooo good!"  It makes me happy when I see young people enjoy the performing arts because it has brought so much enrichment to my life!